Barbeques, and specifically kettle-type barbeques, such as WEBER® and similar type barbeques, use combustible carbonaceous material such as charcoal or wood for cooking food. A problem with such barbeques is the ash produced during the combusting of the charcoal or wood which requires regular cleaning of the barbeque, and often results in ash being blown onto food being cooked on it.
There are also persistent concerns that combustion of some carbonaceous materials may be carcinogenic if the food cooked on it, especially meat being grilled is burnt. It appears possible to alleviate this risk by keeping food out of direct contact with flames and avoiding cooking food, especially meat, at high heat. This requires a level of control over the combustion process that is not always easy to achieve with a typical charcoal or wood kettle-type barbeque.
Gas-fuelled barbeques present a cleaner and more time-efficient manner of cooking. Such barbeques leave no ash from the combustion process and thus eliminate residue to clean up and avoid contamination of food with ash. Control of the flame height and heat is also very accurately done by regulating the pressurised gas supply to the barbeque from an associated gas cylinder, thus enabling easier avoidance or mitigation of the possible cancer risks associated with barbequing.
A problem with gas-fuelled barbeques is that food falling onto a gas burner, and especially dripping fat from meat in the process being barbequed, tend to block the numerous apertures of a gas burner. This causes uneven heating and the potential for fat catching fire and causing unexpected flaming. Although this is not necessarily dangerous to a person using the barbeque, it is often disconcerting, and the occurrence of the resulting high flames can cause burning of the food being barbequed.